Things to do in January 2020 in Singapore
Image adapted from (clockwise from top-left): National Gallery, Gardens by the Bay, River Hong Bao, Rumours Beach Club
It’s the start of a whole new decade with 2020 – and the end of “20/20 vision” jokes. As we dive into January with a bang, there are lots of events to look forward to where you can channel any leftover shreds of the previous month’s holiday mood. This month brings us art exhibitions, a music festival, CNY fireworks, and more:
1. Go on a light installation trail at Light to Night 2020
Image credit: National Gallery
The Light to Night Festival is back once again, this time with the theme Invisible Cities. Walk the trail across Civic District landmarks like the National Gallery, Esplanade, and Victoria Theatre, and you’ll encounter 10 interactive exhibits including a glowing optical maze, giant five stones, and stationary bikes which emit light and sound.
Image credit: National Gallery
Don’t just show up for the photo opportunities, though. There will also be fringe activities like free music, theatre, and comedy performances, as well as a food and craft market.
Date: 10th – 19th Jan 2020
Time: 10AM-12AM
Venue: Civic District
Price: FREE
Website
2. Lounge at Bali’s well-loved Rumours Beach Club at Sentosa
Image credit: Rumours Beach Club
Bali frequents would be familiar with the name Rumours, a popular restaurant-bar in Seminyak. We’re getting our very own beach club version of it on the sandy shores of Sentosa, and it’ll be even better than the original with not 1 but 3 swimming pools, and plenty of deck chairs, beanbags, and cabanas for lazy lounging.
Image credit: Rumours Beach Club
Apart from the expected cocktails, you can also look forward to an extensive menu here that doesn’t just include bar bites but also hearty mains like pizza, pasta, and grilled steak.
Address: 40 Siloso Beach Walk, Singapore 098996
Telephone: 6970 0625
Website
3. Take in a 360-degree view of GBTB from the new Supertree Observatory
Image credit: Gardens by the Bay
The Supertree Grove has already gained worldwide fame for its futuristic towering structures that look straight out of a Sci-Fi movie – especially after being featured in Crazy Rich Asians. And just when we thought it couldn’t get any cooler, they’ve since opened up a new Supertree Observatory where you can take in 360-degree views of the surroundings from a viewing deck on the tallest Supertree.
Image credit: Gardens by the Bay
Tickets cost from $10 for adults who are Singapore Residents. There’s also a cafe there where you can grab a drink or light bite if you get peckish while way up high.
Address: 18 Marina Gardens Drive, Singapore 018953
Opening hours: 9AM-9PM, Daily (last admission at 8.30PM)
Telephone: 6420 6848
Website
4. Celebrate CNY with a carnival, lantern displays, and fireworks at River Hong Bao
Image credit: River Hong Bao
Get into the Chinese New Year mood with River Hong Bao’s cultural song and dance performances and giant lantern displays across the Marina Bay area. There will also be a carnival with games like ring toss, as well as small bites and CNY goodies being sold. The icing on the cake, though, has got to be the nightly fireworks displays which you can admire for absolutely free.
Image credit: River Hong Bao
Find the fireworks display timings here, and check out our article here to find out where the best places for fireworks-viewing in Marina Bay are.
Date: 23rd Jan – 1st Feb 2020
Time: 2PM-11PM
Venue: The Float @ Marina Bay
Price: FREE
Website
5. Soak your feet and cook onsen eggs at the revamped Sembawang Hot Spring
Once with just a little tap spouting from the ground, Sembawang Hot Spring has now been revamped with a larger 3-tiered pool with comforting waters of 40 degrees for you to soak your feet in. And get this: The tap dispenses hot water at 70 degrees, which is hot enough to cook an egg!
Eggs aren’t provided so do bring your own
Do note that you aren’t allowed to cook the eggs directly in the pools for sanitary reasons, but feel free to bring a bowl or bucket to cook it in.
The area has also been spruced up with wooden log seats to chill on, along with a new Instagrammable tree formation.
Check out our experience at Sembawang Hot Spring here.
Address: Along Gambas Avenue
6. Watch a fluorescent graffiti painting show and try a skateboard at Aliwal Urban Arts Festival 2020
Image credit: Aliwal Arts Centre
This isn’t one of those chi-chi arts events where you have to pretend to find meaning in an abstract concept. Bringing edge and attitude to the alleys of Kampong Glam, Aliwal Urban Arts Festival celebrates the vibrancy of oft-misunderstood street culture. Watch live graffiti art demonstrations, and even a fluorescent graffiti painting show that will help you better understand the beauty of urban art.
Image credit: Aliwal Arts Centre
The outdoor parking lots in the area will be transformed into a skate battle arena, so bring your board and show off your moves. If you’re a newbie, take part in a free skateboarding clinic so you can learn the ropes.
Image credit: Aliwal Arts Centre
There will also be a craft market and street clean-up efforts, and the whole event will end off with an outdoor rave right on the streets.
Date: 18th Jan 2020
Time: 4PM till late
Venue: Aliwal Arts Centre
Price: Mostly FREE
Website
7. Admire trippy light projections at #futuretogether by teamLab
Image credit: teamLab
Japanese art collective teamLab’s mesmerising installations are crazily popular, especially at their permanent ticketed exhibition in Tokyo. Now, you can enjoy their light projection art at #futuretogether at Gardens by the Bay, where there are both free outdoor attractions and ticketed indoor ones which start from just $3 per entry.
Image credit: teamLab
Feast your eyes on floral walls, trippy rotating calligraphy, an AR message wall, and a cluster of giant glowing eggs which make a sound and change colour when touched.
Date: Until 15th March 2020 (Indoor exhibits only open on 16th Jan)
Time: Outdoor exhibits 7PM-12AM | Indoor exhibits 9AM-9PM
Venue: Gardens by the Bay
Price: Outdoor exhibits FREE for Singapore Residents | Indoor exhibits from $3
Website
8. Grab soccer merch at the first Liverpool FC store in SG
Image credit: @ironman_hitman
Soccer fanatics who are on camp Liverpool now have easy access to their favourite team’s merch with the first-ever Liverpool FC store in the country at Bugis Junction. Wear your pride loud and proud with their official jerseys, jackets, caps, and more – and don’t forget to snap a photo under the iconic “You’ll never walk alone” quote, perched atop the store’s gate-like doors that were made to mimic the Shankly Gates at the Reds’ Anfield stadium. #YNWA
Image credit: @nessarawrs
Address: 200 Victoria Street, #01-73 to #01-76, Singapore 188021
Opening hours: 11AM-10PM, Daily
Website
9. Look into the future with ArtScience Museum’s 2219: Futures Imagined exhibition
A possible future of dwelling underground
Image credit: Marina Bay Sands
Ever wondered how Singapore would be like decades into the future? 2219: Futures Imagined at ArtScience Museum explores how our country may become 200 years from now. The thought-provoking installations and artwork delve into how we might possibly have to adapt to survive in the age of the climate crisis – such as by living underground, as nature and its resources become increasingly scarce.
Image credit: Marina Bay Sands
Date: Until 5th April 2020
Venue: ArtScience Museum
Price: From $15 for Adults. Get your tickets here.
Website
10. Trade pre-loved CNY clothes in a special Chinese New Year Swap
Image credit: @thefashionpulpit
Perhaps your ah mah might balk at the thought of you wearing “old” clothes for Chinese New Year, but hey, it’s the 21st Century – and many of us are purchasing new apparel all year round anyway. In a bid to curb the waste generated by fast fashion, The Fashion Pulpit is hosting a special Chinese New Year Swap – where this time, only traditional outfits, accessories, footwear, and anything with a CNY-related colour scheme will be part of the clothing swap.
Date: 12th Jan 2020
Time: 2PM-5PM
Venue: Liang Court
Price: $25.
Website
11. Get a taste of Taiwan at the Ningxia Night Market pop-up
Image credit: @debbie.lly
Ningxia Night Market in Taipei may not be as famous as its larger counterparts, Shihlin and Raohe, but it’s one that the locals frequent for their fix of tasty street food. If you missed it out on it the last time you were in Taiwan, you’ll be glad to know that there will be a pop-up version of it at Sentosa happening later this month.
Expect iconic Taiwanese dishes like braised pork rice, beef noodles, and crispy fried chicken, as well as game booths where you can cop some prizes.
Fried oyster omelettes
Image credit: @flying_ta01
Date: 16th Jan – 9th Feb 2020
Time: TBC
Venue: Siloso Point, Sentosa
Price: FREE
12. Appreciate street art and culture with ARTWALK Little India
Image credit: @mkw.sg
You know Little India for its North and South Indian restaurants as well as the 24-hour Mustafa Centre, but there are also pockets of street art hidden between the rows of shophouses around the area.
Suss out these murals and installations in a guided tour with ARTWALK Little India, and hear the stories behind them which you normally wouldn’t get to discover when roaming around on your own.
Image credit: @artwalklittleindia
Date: 10th – 11th, 17th – 18th Jan 2020
Time: 5PM-6PM, 7PM-8PM
Venue: Little India
Price: FREE. Registration is required.
Website
13. Join a free family yoga session by Yoga Seeds at Bishan-AMK Park
Image credit: Yoga Seeds
Gym memberships and fitness classes can be pricey, but don’t let that stop you from achieving your New Year’s resolution of staying active. Yoga Seeds is organising a free family yoga session on the sprawling lawns of Bishan-AMK Park, and all you have to do is bring your own mat.
This is a family-friendly event that’s suitable for all ages, so ask your folks and kids along and enjoy an early morning moving those lazy bones.
Date: 12th Jan 2020
Time: 8AM-9AM
Venue: Ficus Green, Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park
Price: FREE. Register here.
Website
14. Be wowed by pyrotechnics, floats, and a 200m firecracker release at the Chingay Parade
Image credit: Chingay
As part of our CNY celebrations is the annual Chingay Parade, a colourful spectacle which involves elaborate floats, drum performances, and of course, fireworks. This year’s parade will include a 200-metre-long firecracker release, the world’s biggest and longest flying dragon, and special stilt-walking displays that will have you at the edge of your seat.
Stilt walkers attempting stunts
Image credit: Chingay
It’s different watching it in real life compared to on your TV screen, so if you haven’t had a chance to catch the parade live, don’t miss this chance. PAssion Card members get up to 20% off.
Date: 31st Jan & 1st Feb 2020
Time: 8PM-9.45PM
Venue: F1 Pit Building
Price: From $28.50. Get your tickets here.
Website
15. Pig out at Don Don Donki’s first sushi bar and teppanyaki counter at the new JCube outlet
Westies now have a new haunt for Japanese food and groceries, thanks to Don Don Donki’s newest opening at JCube. But this isn’t any regular franchise of the megastore, for this one includes a sushi bar with fresh fish flown in straight from Japan, as well as a teppanyaki counter with piping hot yakisoba and okonomiyaki – something the other outlets don’t have.
You can also look forward to new fried snacks like beef cutlets and breaded mozzarella sticks, as well as a bunch of new F&B stalls serving dishes like unagi don, hotpot, and rice bowls.
Find out more about Don Don Donki at JCube in our article here.
16. Learn about wildlife at Living Worlds: An Animal Planet Experience
Image credit: Science Centre Singapore
Immerse yourself into the world of animals at the Science Centre’s new interactive exhibition, Living Worlds: An Animal Planet Experience, where you’ll be transported to various landscapes like the ocean, the Arctic, and the rainforest. As you “travel” through the environments and encounter different forms of wildlife, you will also be learning about nature conservation through multimedia installations and special projections.
A projection dome showcasing coral reefs and the underwater ecosystem
Image credit: @sciencecentresg
This exhibition is suitable for all ages, so bring the whole family along!
Date: Until 22nd March 2020
Venue: Science Centre Singapore
Price: From $23 for Adults. Get your tickets here.
Website
17. Catch the best of theatre and music as part of the Singapore Fringe Festival
Kebaya Homies by The Necessary Stage – a humorous show that takes you back to the past to explore Malay culture through song and dance
Image credit: Sistic
Singapore Fringe Festival brings together the best of the local arts scene through theatre, plays, music, and dance performances. This year’s edition of the annual festival follows the theme “My Country and My People”, which touches on what unites us as a country and whether it comes at a price.
Date: 8th – 19th Jan 2020
Price: From $15 per show. Get your tickets here.
Website
Events in January 2020
The holiday season might be over, but that doesn’t have to be the end of all the fun and merry-making. Start the new year on a wonderful note by spending time with your loved ones and crossing these activities off your to-do list – especially if your goal for the year is to expose yourself to more new things!
Check out our list of new movies to catch in 2o20.
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